How this former Latter-day Saint mission president and MLB pitcher is ‘shaking up’ the league

From 2004-2015 Jeremy Guthrie was a Major League Baseball pitcher, with a big highlight coming as he won Game 3 of the 2014 World Series with the Kansas City Royals before being the losing pitcher in Game 7 as the San Francisco Giants won the title.

In 2018, Guthrie, a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, was called to preside over the Texas Houston South Mission, where he served until July of 2021.

Now 45, Guthrie is again involved with MLB, but in a different capacity from striking batters out. Last week, Boardroom shoe expert Nick DePaula — arguably the foremost authority on the footwear athletes don — wrote a lengthy feature about how Custom Cleats, a company Guthrie owns that converts sneakers into baseball cleats, is becoming more and more popular with MLB’s players.

A self-professed “sneakerhead,” Guthrie told DePaula he had his eye on entering the athletic footwear business when his playing days were over, and last year he acquired Custom Cleats from its founders, Anthony and Dominick Ambrosino.

Last August, Philadelphia Phillies pitcher Michael Lorenzen threw a no-hitter in a pair of kicks from Custom Cleats, and according to DePaula’s story, “Guthrie estimates that more than 200 of the league’s 950 players own a pair of converted Custom Cleats.”

Guthrie went on to explain to DePaula how the process of converting a sneaker into a cleated shoe works, adding that his company can also convert shoes for softball, golf, football, lacrosse and soccer.

“We want to give every athlete in the world the chance to play their favorite sport in their favorite shoe,” Guthrie said.

After DePaula’s story was published, Guthrie shared it on X and wrote, “My passion for sneakers and sport will never retire!”

Beside his shoe company, Guthrie has also been involved in baseball a few other ways this year. In February he voiced support for the Larry H. Miller Company’s bid to get a MLB team someday, writing on X, “The idea of the Power District development & @MLB baseball is the perfect scenario for sports loving people in Utah! No better family to make it happen than the Millers.

“Passion and excitement are what the Larry H. Miller Company are all about. Passionate about Utah’s growth & development & about making Utah the best place to live!”

In May, Guthrie went to Spain to conduct baseball and softball clinics. It was a special opportunity for him, as that’s where he served as a young missionary from 1998-2000.

“Living there those two years is absolutely what converted me and changed my mindset, and brought out the interest in other people and other cultures,’ he told MLB.com’s David Venn . “It’s changed really who I am, from the inside out.”